Chapter 28 County City
Chapter 28 County City
Yuzhou has five counties under its jurisdiction, among which Xin'an County is the most prosperous.
Among the Xin'an County, the most prosperous one is the county town of Xinyang, which is attached to the city. People usually call it the county town.
It takes two days to get from Leping County to the county seat, passing through Changning and Fuquan counties on the way. The road is wide, the public security is good, and there are endless caravans coming and going.
Chen Yuan traveled early in the morning and slept at night, riding his horse at full speed, and in just a day and a half he arrived at the county town.
Wei Wuding gave him seven days, but he couldn't really wait until the seventh day.
The county town was much more prosperous than Leping County. Three-story buildings could be seen everywhere on the streets, horse-drawn carriages and sedan chairs were common on the streets, and most pedestrians were dressed in silk and cotton-padded clothes and had ruddy complexions.
Chen Yuan led the horse and walked all the way to Chongxinfang in the west of the city.
This is the base of the Fu Hu Gang, and there are guards at all four gates.
Chen Yuan arrived at the north gate and showed his badge. The guard immediately put on a smiling face.
After Chen Yuan broke through to the Bone Refining stage, he changed his waist badge. These guards were only at the Skin Refining stage, so they were naturally very respectful to him.
After the guard pointed the way, Chen Yuan found the entrance of Baibing Hall and explained his purpose.
A gang member led the way and led Chen Yuan to a training ground.
On the training ground, Wei Wuding was leading thirty warriors to practice boxing and martial arts.
Seeing Chen Yuan coming, Wei Wuding signaled everyone to practice martial arts on their own, then took Chen Yuan to a nearby room and asked:
"Have your family members settled down?"
Chen Yuan replied:
"I've settled in. My parents were worried and asked me to stay at home for a few days. I'm a little late. Please forgive me, deacon."
Wei Wuding smiled and said:
"It is human nature for a mother to worry about her son when he is thousands of miles away. I gave you seven days, and today is only the sixth day. You are not slow to come. But since you have come to the county town, you cannot leave without a reason. A real man has ambitions and works hard to have a good future."
"Yes, Erniu will obey the deacon's orders!"
Wei Wuding smiled and nodded, took out a jade bottle from his arms, handed it to Chen Yuan, and said:
"This is the marrow refining pill that the hall master gave to you as a reward after I reported your contribution to you. Take it."
Chen Yuan was overjoyed and said:
"Thank you for the reward, Deacon!"
He took the marrow-refining pill with both hands, wanted to open the stopper to take a look, then put his hands down, but still held the jade bottle tightly, his eyes constantly glancing upwards.
Wei Wuding laughed and said:
"Open it and take a look, in case there is something wrong with the elixir, then it will be hard to explain."
Chen Yuan smiled awkwardly, opened the jade bottle, poured the pill into his palm, looked at the small and round pill, smelled the rich fragrance of the pill, and his eyes were eager.
The market price of the Marrow Refining Pill is over one hundred taels of silver. As the name suggests, it can help warriors break through the Marrow Refining Realm and is extremely precious.
"Have you seen enough?"
Wei Wuding's teasing woke Chen Yuan up.
He quickly put the pill back into the jade bottle, held it in his arms, and smiled embarrassedly.
But Wei Wuding didn't care. It was precisely because Chen Yuan was honest and easy to control that he valued Chen Yuan so much.
"You have great strength, and your body must be strong enough. I will give you seven days. After taking this pill, you should have no problem breaking through the marrow refining stage. By then, I can also arrange a task for you."
Chen Yuan responded respectfully:
"Yes."
Afterwards, he called Yu Zhenchuan from the parade ground and asked him to take Chen Yuan to settle down first.
Looking at Chen Yuan's departing back, Wei Wuding said softly:
"Erniu, please don't let me down, otherwise..."
……
Yu Zhenchuan and Chen Yuan knew each other in the manor, and he saw him kill Jiang Feng with his own eyes. He also knew that Wei Wuding valued Chen Yuan and his attitude was extremely enthusiastic.
He led Chen Yuan through several alleys and came to the gate of a small courtyard in the northeast corner of Chongxinfang. He said:
"Junior Brother Chen, this is the place that Deacon Wei arranged for you. I happen to live next door, so we will be neighbors from now on. If anything happens, we can take care of each other..."
This courtyard is similar to Chen Yuan’s courtyard in Leping County. Both have a main house and a side room, but there is an additional toilet. There is a weapon rack and a stone table in the courtyard, but there is no old locust tree.
Chen Yuan put his luggage in the main room, and Yu Zhenchuan enthusiastically helped Chen Yuan clean up.
Chen Yuan tried to refuse, but Yu Zhenchuan insisted, so he had to accept his kindness.
After finishing the cleaning, Yu Zhenchuan accompanied Chen Yuan to get cotton-padded clothes, quilts, food boxes, buckets and other daily necessities. It was already dusk.
Yu Zhenchuan looked up at the sunset glow in the sky and said:
"It's getting late. Junior Brother Chen has come all the way from Leping County, so he must be hungry. I'd like to invite you to Cuiyun Tower for a drink to welcome you."
Chen Yuan declined:
"Brother, you have been busy all the time for me, how can I let you pay again? I'll pay for it."
"Hey, I'm the landlord..."
"Brother, please don't refuse. It's settled. I still have something to ask you. You must give me this favor."
Seeing Chen Yuan's firm attitude, Yu Zhenchuan smiled and agreed:
"Okay, then let me spend the money this time, I'll treat you next time!"
...Chen Yuan locked the door and, under the guidance of Yu Zhenchuan, walked through the streets and alleys and came to a busy street in the south of the city.
The street is lined with two- or three-story buildings, hung with colorful lanterns with signs, illuminating the bluestone road below.
The streets were crowded with people, and the sound of talking and laughing was endless.
Occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage or sedan chair passed by, and the coachman and sedan chair bearer would stretch out their voices, begging the people ahead to give way. Their tones were long and melodious, as if they were singing a song.
Yu Zhenchuan introduced as he walked:
"There are all kinds of restaurants, brothels, brothels, and money houses on this East Street. No matter what you want to buy, this is the right place to go. The Cuiyun Tower we went to today is not as good as the Huixian Tower, but it is also one of the top three restaurants in the county. The signature roasted lamb has no smell at all. I guarantee you will swallow your tongue..."
Yu Zhenchuan talked incessantly and led Chen Yuan to a three-story restaurant.
As soon as the two entered the door, the waiter came up to greet them:
"Master Yu, you are here, please come upstairs!"
With the servant leading the way, Chen Yuan and Yu Zhenchuan went up to the second floor and sat down in a private room.
The servant nodded and bowed:
"Master Yu, what would you like to eat today? The usual, or something different?"
Yu Zhenchuan looked at Chen Yuan and said:
"Junior Brother Chen, look..."
Chen Yuan waved his hand and said:
"Brother Yu will arrange it."
Yu Zhenchuan turned to look at the servant and ordered:
"It's still the same old rules, four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, and twenty white flour cakes, but the roasted mutton will be a larger portion, plus a pot of Cuiyun wine. Go!"
"Okay, please wait a moment!"
The servant walked out of the box, and after a while, he pushed the door open again, carrying a large tray.
He put down two jugs of wine, two wine cups, a plate of dried fruits, a plate of broad beans, a plate of side dishes, and a plate of braised beef, and said with a smile:
"Master Yu, Master Chen, these are some snacks that we're giving to you two to drink with. Please enjoy them first."
Yu Zhenchuan waved his hand, and the servant poured wine for the two of them and left respectfully.
Yu Zhenchuan raised his wine cup and said:
"Brother Chen, try this Cuiyun wine. This is the wine brewed by Cuiyun Tower itself. It is mellow and intoxicating. You can't get this good stuff outside."
Chen Yuan didn't like drinking, but he didn't refuse Yu Zhenchuan's kindness. He picked up the wine cup, drank it all, and praised:
"Good wine!"
"Haha, Junior Brother is really straightforward. Come on, come on, let me toast you a glass to celebrate your joining the headquarters. You and I will both serve under Deacon Wei, so we must help each other in the future..."
The two of them clinked glasses, chatted and laughed, and the dishes were slowly served, filling the table.
"Come, Junior Brother, try this roasted lamb, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Also, there is this golden tripe soup and two-color kidneys, which are also the signature dishes of Cuiyun Tower..."
Yu Zhenchuan kept greeting everyone and telling some anecdotes about the Fu Hu Gang, and he was very enthusiastic.
After eating for a while, Chen Yuan put down his chopsticks, played with the wine glass in his hand, and said with a smile:
"Brother, I'm new to the county city and I don't know anything. I don't even know how the gangs are divided. I hope you can give me some pointers so that I don't cause any trouble in the future and cause trouble for Deacon Wei."
Yu Zhenchuan drank half a pot of Cuiyun wine, his cheeks flushed slightly, he was full of wine and food, in a good mood, and said with a smile:
"Then I will explain it to you, Junior Brother. The gang is divided into three halls: Baibing Hall, Shennong Hall, and Law Enforcement Hall. Our Baibing Hall is engaged in the ironware business and has dealings with mountain bandits, garrisons, business houses, and powerful people. We have the best business and the strongest strength. The hall master, Hou Yan, is a master at the peak of Gangjin. He is highly respected and has a high generation. Even Gang Master Luo has to respect him."
"Shennongtang is engaged in the business of medicinal materials and elixirs. The Yangjing Pills we received were made by Shennongtang. If you want to buy elixirs, I know a few brothers from Shennongtang who can help you make connections."
"The Law Enforcement Hall has the smallest number of people, but the greatest power. If anyone in the gang violates the gang rules, they will be handed over to the Law Enforcement Hall for punishment. We must not offend them. However, we are under the command of Deacon Wei, and Deacon Wei is the disciple of the Hall Master. Even the Gang Master praises him a lot. Even the people in the Law Enforcement Hall have to give Deacon Wei some face, so there is no need to worry too much..."
Yu Zhenchuan's eloquent talk gave Chen Yuan a clear understanding of the Fuhu Gang.
Baibing Hall and Shennong Hall each have a hall master and two deputy hall masters, all of whom are Gangjin warriors; three deacons, who are Neijin warriors; and a number of managers and guard leaders, all of whom are Liansui warriors.
The Law Enforcement Hall is somewhat special, with six internal force deacons and thirty law enforcement disciples, all of whom are marrow refining warriors. There are fewer gang members in the skin refining realm.
After Yu Zhenchuan finished speaking, the meal was just over.
The two went downstairs to pay the bill. Chen Yuan took out the silver, but the servant said that Yu Zhenchuan had already paid the bill when he went to the toilet.
Chen Yuan complained that Yu Zhenchuan was "unfaithful", but Yu Zhenchuan said that Chen Yuan had just arrived in the county town and there was no reason for him to treat him to a meal, so Chen Yuan gave up.
When the two walked out of Cuiyun Tower, it was already late in the evening and the moon was at its highest point in the sky.
There were few pedestrians on East Street, and most of the lanterns on the street were dimmed. Only the entrances of a few brothels were still bustling with people.
Yu Zhenchuan also wanted to take Chen Yuan to a brothel to have some fun, but Chen Yuan had experiences in his past life and was very afraid of contracting syphilis. After refusing several times, Yu Zhenchuan had to give up.
Just as the two turned to leave, a shout came over:
"You dare to fight back? Break their legs for me!"
Chen Yuan turned his head and saw two groups of people fighting with sticks in an alley.
One group had more than a dozen people, and the other had only six, but the side with more people was clearly at a disadvantage, with nearly half of them lying on the ground.
Chen Yuan didn't want to meddle in other people's business, so he quickened his pace and walked forward.
Yu Zhenchuan drank most of the pot of Cuiyun wine, feeling slightly tipsy. He glanced at it lazily and didn't care.
But the two groups also saw Chen Yuan and Yu Zhenchuan. One of the people in the larger group suddenly shouted:
"Brother Yu, help! These bastards from the Sanjiang Gang are trying to break our legs!"
Yu Zhenchuan uttered a sigh, blinked, looked carefully, and then shouted:
"Stop it! You bastard, how dare you hit someone from the Fu Hu Gang!"
(End of this chapter)